


A Most Wonderful Night

by im_the_king_of_the_ocean



Category: Trollhunters (Cartoon)
Genre: Christmas Cookies, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Presents, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-27 04:08:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17155025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/im_the_king_of_the_ocean/pseuds/im_the_king_of_the_ocean
Summary: Blinky arrives early to the Christmas celebration at the Lake house, watches Jim make cookies, receives a wonderful gift, and helps with a situation in the chimney.  All around, a most wonderful night.Secret Santa gift for Tsuncoon.





	A Most Wonderful Night

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Tsuncoon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tsuncoon/gifts).



The lights of the Lake house are a welcome sight after the chilly winds of the night.Blinky shivers as he crunches through the fallen snow in Jim and Barbara’s backyard, up the back steps, and through the door into the kitchen.

The sound of a merry, human, holiday song playing on the radio greets him, as does the comforting warmth of indoor heating.Jim is bent down by the oven, with his back to Blinky.The troll waits as his student removes a tray of cookies and places it on the counter, as to not startle Jim into breaking concentration.

Blinky inhales.Though he is not one for human food (at least while himself not in a human form), he can still appreciate the smell of such delights.The scent of fresh-baked cookies intermingles with the scents of pine needles and cinnamon already drifting through the house.It is an unusual mix for the Lake residence, but not a completely unwelcome one.

“Master Jim, those smell wonderful!”Blinky exclaims, mostly as a way of announcing his arrival.He’s stood in the entryway long enough that anything other than an exclamation may be seen as awkward or a faux pas by human standards.

Jim looks over his shoulder and grins.“Hey, Blink.And thanks.It’s my special cookie recipe.Only for this time of year.”He removes his oven mitts and places them by the side of the cookie tray.

Blinky walks over to look at the cookies.He expects similar shapes to those he’s seen regularly around Arcadia since December began; a tall tree with lots of (potentially scrumptious) bobbles, reindeer, and a fat man with a beard—whose very existence grated on Blinky ever since he learned of the story of Santa.Out of curiosity, Blinky researched this so called “Santa Claus” and found out the truth.Rather than being a human who lives in the North Pole with his wife, reindeer, and an absurd number of elves, the _real S_ anta was none other than a trickster troll who renounced his devious ways to bring joy and delight to all.

Blinky fully plans on regaling everyone with the story later, as it was indeed fascinating.Also, this way, he might be able to pick Jim and Barbara’s, as well as Claire’s when she arrives, brains on what they knew of the humans’ version of Santa so he might do a full and proper comparison analysis.

Regardless of that, back to the present matter of cookies.

Jim’s cookies are not shaped in the usual Christmas shapes, but some definitely stranger configurations.A couple look distinctly human, kind of what Blinky knows are called ‘gingerbread men’.He assumes that’s what they’re meant to be.There are others, though, that confuse Blinky.They _look_ similar to the gingerbread men, but they have other extra areas that don’t make sense if that is indeed what they are.

Blinky wants to ask Jim what they are, but he’s frosting the cookies now and, by the looks of it, frosting is a task that takes significant concentration.Blinky determines it would be best to wait.

Jim starts with a cookie that Blinky supposes must be a star of some kind (though most human renditions have five points and this one has seven).Jim squeezes light blue frosting from his tube-like applicator down onto the cookie.Then, once he has covered most of the cookie, Jim switches over to a light brown frosting.

A peculiar color, Blinky thinks, for frosting, until he recognizes that Jim is using the sugary confection to create trousers on the cookie.So the cookie is a _person_ , not a star.That makes sense, in a way.But humans aren’t blue, at least not healthy ones (Blinky once spent an enjoyable day reading all about conditions like hypothermia in one of Barbara’s medical tomes, so he knows all about humanly discoloration).Therefore, it’s puzzling why Jim would choose blue as a color for the dominant color of this person-cookie.

Oh.

Wait.

No.

Jim didn’t.

He _didn’t_.

“Master Jim, I must ask, errrm, and I hope you don’t think differently of me for this inquiry, but is that cookie supposed to be _me_?”

Jim grins.“Yes.You like it?It’s sort of a tradition for us.The first Christmas after Dad left, Mom was sad so I tried to make her cookies that looked like us to cheer her up.They weren’t the best, but they made her smile.The next year I tried to make better ones, and then the year after that Toby and I became really close friends, so I made them for him and Nana too.It sort of became a thing.”Jim gestures to the tray of cookies.“This year, I’m making one for everyone.Me, mom, Toby, Nana, you and Arrrgh!!!, Claire, even NotEnrique and Gnome Chomsky.Oh and Nomura and Strickler too.”

The kitchen door opens before Jim can explain further.

Jim and Blinky turn around to face whoever just joined them.

Nomura stomps a couple times on the welcome mat before stepping further into the kitchen.

“What?”She demands when she catches Jim and Blinky staring.“Do I have a kid stuck on me somewhere?I tried to get them all off, but they’re smarter than they look.”

“Pray tell, what business do you have with children?”It isn’t the only question in Blinky’s mind, but considering the other involved asking why Nomura is dressed like one of Santa’s elves (at least the contemporary version of red dress with white fluff around the hem and long, red hat with little puffball at the end), it is the only one he’s willing to ask.

“We have an educational event every year at the museum.”Nomura goes over to the fridge, rummages around in it, and then takes out the eggnog.“Teach the kids about the history of winter solstice traditions and holidays, that sort of thing.At the end, one of my older coworkers dresses up like Santa and we pass out gifts.”She takes a swig of eggnog directly from the carton.“This year I drew the short straw and had to dress up like an ‘elf’.”She chuckles.“I was tempted to tell them what elves really are like, but the job pays well so.”Nomura shrugs.

She stretches and returns to the door, where she apparently put down a sack without either Jim or Blinky noticing.“Right.Before I forget.This.”She tosses a package to Jim.“Is for you.And this.”She tosses a second one to Blinky.“Is for you.Don’t think anything of them.I owe you for the eggnog.”She holds up the carton she’s been drinking from.“Are the others here yet?”

“No.Toby and Claire are coming over soon,”Jim answers while turning the package Nomura threw at him over and over in his hands.“Mom’s at the clinic downtown.They setup to give the homeless shelter this time of year and she’s helping, but she said she’ll be back by nine.Right now, it’s just us.”

“Ah.”Nomura hefts her sack, which is clearly still full of gifts over one shoulder, and goes to sit on the couch.She takes the eggnog with her.

Jim and Blinky watch her for a long moment, but then they open their gifts.Jim’s is a set of expertly crafted throwing knives and Blinky’s is a book on the secret trollish history of ancient Rome.

Blinky’s eyes widen at the sight of his new book.This isn’t just any tome, but a tome by one of the _greatest troll historians who ever walked the Earth._ As far as gifts go, it’s a magnificent one.He calls over to Nomura to tell her as much, but she just grunts in return.

Blinky retreats to the corner by the basement stairs so he might begin reading this glorious artifact and learn the wisdom its pages can impart.

The world falls away as Blinky reads.

Then there’s a thump, and then another.

_Thump.Thump.Thump._

The sound reverberates throughout the house.

Blinky gets up at the same time as Jim reaches in his pocket for the amulet.Slowly, together, they advance into the living room, where Nomura waits, now in troll form with khopesh held at the ready.

“It’s coming from the chimney,” she tells them.“Whoever they are, they didn’t choose the best entry for a sneak attack.By the sounds of it, they’re stuck.”She snickers.“And just when I thought all this holiday stuff was getting dull.”

Blinky hangs back as Jim approaches the chimney to investigate.

Jim crouches down and crawls into the fireplace.He turns his head up, and stares at whatever he sees up in the chimney.He pulls back out and stands up again.“Okay, so we’re not under attack.Blinky, you’re gonna want to see this.”He gestures for Blinky to step forward.

“Are you sure?Master Jim, you know my skills in combat are—”

“Again, not an attack,” Jim interrupts.“Just come here.”

Tentatively, Blinky steps forward.He trusts Jim, but a part of him worries about potential danger.It takes a bit of maneuvering for him to bend down by the chimney and see what’s caused all the commotion.

A set of emerald-green eyes gaze down at him.

“Blinky,” an oh-so-familiar voice rumbles.

“Arrrgh!!!?What in Deya’s name are you doing?”Blinky blurts before he can think about it.

“Wanted to be Santa,” Arrrgh!!! replies.He struggles, which only manages to dislodge some soot that falls on Blinky.

Blinky sneezes, coughs.All of his hands move up to his face, but only the top two can reach to clear it of soot.

“Sorry,”Arrrgh!!! rumbles again.

“No matter.What concerns me is how we’re going to get you out.”Blinky frowns.“How did you get in there the first place?”

“Arrrgh!!! determined,” Arrrgh!!! replies.“Wanted to be Santa.Make others happy.Make Jim and Toby smile.”He shifts around again, but doesn’t dislodge as much soot.“Brought gifts.”

“Ah.In that case, we will hurry to free you.I will return shortly.”Blinky ducks out of the chimney.He approaches Jim and Nomura, who’ve retreated to the couch to discuss possible solutions for Arrrgh!!!.

“I could climb in from the roof and force him out,” Nomura says.

“No.That could hurt Arrrgh!!!, and destroy the chimney.I’m _not_ explaining to my mom why the house has sustained even more structural damage.”Jim crosses his arms.“We need something else.Something to ease him out _gently_.Blinky, can you think of a troll thing that could help?”

Blinky considers.He breaks into a wide smile.“I may know just the thing, Master Jim.Please excuse me, I must go to Trollmarket.Tell Arrrgh!!! I will return shortly to free him.”

* * *

“You’re sure about this?”Jim turns the stone over and over in his hands.“The last time I used one of these, I ended up with like a billion clones and then one of them turned evil and _ruined everything_.”

Blinky nods.“I am quite certain.I quadruple-checked my sources.The Sizer Stone gives its user the ability to grow or shrink any obstacle, even living beings, without harming them.At worst, it will make Arrrgh!!! a little smaller.A situation easily rectified by a second use.”

“Alright.I trust you, Blink.”Jim pauses.“But if this goes all crazy-town banana-pants, don’t say I didn’t tell you so later.”He takes a deep breath.“For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to command!”

Blinky swells with pride as he watches Jim work.He never had a son.He and Arrrgh!!! talked about it, but ultimately decided that they weren’t ready.Yet, seeing Jim act with confidence as the Trollhunter, as well as quickly figure out how to use the Sizer Stone while reassuring Arrrgh!!! in the process, it gives him a warm feeling that, perhaps, is close to fatherly pride.

Jim steps back from the fireplace.There’s a rumbling, a scratching (like stone fingers holding onto brick to control one’s descent), a verifiable avalanche of soot comes down from the chimney, and, finally, Arrrgh!!!.

The big troll shakes himself off.The makeshift Santa suit he wears (made from some old, red used car sales banners and window drapes he must’ve found while scavenging) is covered in soot stains and cobwebs.Arrrgh!!! gingerly takes it off.Underneath he’s almost perfectly clean.

“Thank you,” he greets Jim.

“No problem, just don’t try to climb down the chimney in the future alright?”Jim pats him on the arm, and then dismisses the daylight armor.He takes out the Sizer Stone and gives it back to Blinky.“You should probably hang on to this.”

Blinky manages to put the stone safely in one of his pockets, before Arrrgh!!! whisks him up in the air.

“Blinky!”

“I’m happy to see you, too.”Blinky presses his forehead against Arrrgh!!!’s.“I understand your reasoning, but you had me worried there.”

“Won’t worry Blinky again,” Arrrgh!!! rumbles.

They settle down to snuggle on the couch together.Jim returns to the kitchen to finish with the cookies.Nomura takes one look at Blinky and Arrrgh!!!, gets a fire going in the fireplace, and then joins Jim in the kitchen.

Blinky sighs in contentment and leans his head against Arrrgh!!!’s mossy chest.The fire crackles nicely.He hears Jim and Nomura talking in the kitchen.Nomura even laughs.

“MERRY CHRISTMAS!”Toby barges in through the front door, quickly followed by Claire.

Blinky greets them, “Hello there!” without getting up, as he’s too comfortable.

Toby and Claire take off their coats and throw them over the banister of the stairs.They join Blinky and Arrrgh!!! on the couch, though stop to pick up blankets to curl up under on their way there.

Barbara arrives shortly after, but disappears upstairs to refresh herself briefly, before joining them.

Jim and Nomura enter the room.Nomura carries a tray of hot chocolate, which she passes out.Jim hands out his cookies, now completely frosted to look like his friends and family.

Blinky leans against Arrrgh!!! and nibbles his cookie. 

All is well.

A thunderous knock rattles the door.

All look up.Jim answers it.

On the other side looms Bular.

Jim looks up at him.Bular gazes back, his expression unsure of himself.Jim reaches back inside to where he put down his plate of cookies.He picks one of the last ones up and offers it to Bular.Bular takes the cookie, sniffs it, examines it, and then finally eats it in one bite.

Bular smiles.

Jim smiles and welcomes him in.


End file.
